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Frank Ocean Hints at 'Channel Orange' Follow-Up in 2013

Fresh off a Grammy win for his studio debut Channel Orange, Frank Ocean is already “10 or 11 songs” into an as-yet-untitled follow-up to what many critics pegged as one of the best albums of 2012.

Ocean, who was in the UK to appear at the BRIT Awards (where he won the Best International Male Solo award) spent time in the hot seat with Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1. The interview is one of several that Ocean’s consented to this year, which is rare for the artist: he expects more than the modicum of privacy most celebrities tolerate, and journalists aren’t exactly his high on his list (as he disclosed early - and rather bluntly - into a recent profile by the New York Times).

But if you catch him on a good day, as Lowe apparently did, Ocean is humble and at ease. Describing the Grammys aftermath as “quite the roller coaster,” Ocean also touched on avoiding Prince, his favorite color (“estoril blue...it’s a BMW color”) and binge-watching Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Musicians...they’re just like us.

Dropping hints on his upcoming album, or “new thing,” as he calls it, should excite fans of Pharrell and Danger Mouse, who recently spent some time in the studio with Ocean. The details are sparse, but he does say the album will share that same “cohesive...concept-record” focus that made Channel Orange a contemporary Magnum opus for the city of Los Angeles.

But this time around, Ocean’s packing up from the beaches of the Golden State - recording equipment in tow - to spend a few weeks in Bora Bora. Tentatively aiming for a summer release, Ocean mused that the project, whatever it is, will be “the best anything” it can be.

Well, they don’t exactly give out Grammys for Best Full Artistic Disclosure, and on the Frank Ocean front, any news is definitely better than no news. You can listen to the full BBC Radio 1 interview here.